


Hark the herald angels sing

by Aramirandme81



Series: A Johnsons Christmas Calendar 2013 [22]
Category: The Almighty Johnsons
Genre: Cheese is good, Christmas Caroling, Christmas Music, Dawn/Anders friendship, Dysfunctional Family, Family Secrets, Gen, I like Cheese so does Dawn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-15
Updated: 2014-01-15
Packaged: 2018-01-08 19:34:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1136540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aramirandme81/pseuds/Aramirandme81
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s Dawn and Ty’s first Christmas. And Dawn only has one tradition that she insists upon keeping up: Carolling.<br/>No the Johnsons aren’t Christians for obvious reasons, but it’s just getting together and singing a few hymns, how hard can that be?<br/>Well this is the Johnsons we are talking about so....</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hark the herald angels sing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Elenhin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elenhin/gifts).



> For Elenhin.  
> For being a truly lovely person and a bright light in my lonely mountain. One that isn’t the fires of Smaug that is. ;-P Thank you.

It was the beginning of November, and Dawn and Ty was already hyped about Christmas.

 

It was understandable that they were excited since this would be their first Christmas as a couple and they were having a blast discovering the different traditions their family’s have had surrounding the holiday. 

Not that Dawn’s family really had that many traditions and most of those have been ones the Johnsons have had as well, but they did have one that Dawn was really reluctant to let go of: Carolling. 

So she had been somewhat dismayed when Ty admitted that he didn’t really know the words to any of the carols or hymns that Dawn loved so much.

“I don’t think we ever really did much singing around Christmas, or at all really now that I think about it. Axl used to sing along to the cartoons and commercials on TV until he was about nine or ten, I think Mike used to hum along to the stones during his teenage years and I remember mum singing the occasional lullaby to me and Axl when we were really small and I vaguely remember dad and Olaf singing ‘Smoke on the water’ once when they were really out of it, and Olaf will sing every once in a while, but aside from that and maybe a single really badly rendered verse of ‘Happy Birthday’ I don’t think we’ve ever sung.”

“Oh but Ty that’s terrible! Singing makes you so happy and free and it’s so wonderful to rejoice in the spirit of Christmas along with other people.”

“I’ve never really felt the need to sing, it just seemed like more noise you know? And in our childhood home you learned not to make enough noise to get yourself noticed.” Ty confesses and shrugs as if to say ‘eh, what can you do?’ Which makes Dawn go all sad and hug him.

“I know I wouldn’t have stood a chance against a god and goddess, but every so often I get this urge to study quantum mechanics or something like it so I can invent a time machine and go back and kick your parents’ asses.” Dawn confesses into Ty’s shirt making the god of all things cold feel all warm and fuzzy inside that this wonderful woman has chosen to be with him.

“Don’t sell yourself short Dawn, you can be pretty fucking scary when you chose to be.” He says earning himself a light fist to his shoulder and a snort of reluctant laughter.

“Well you don’t have to keep quiet like that anymore, so I say we teach you some carols and rope in the others and you all go carolling with me.”

It was Ty’s turn to snort.

“Yeah, you might have a bit of a fight on your hands trying to persuade them. And even if you somehow manages this miracle you might not want to go through with it.”

“Why not?”

“Did you think maybe the reason that none of us sing could be that none of us can?”

“I’m not expecting you to be Josh Groban, Robbie Williams or anything like that, just that you have a good time.”

Ty gave her a look clearly telling her that they would be far, faaaaar from the singers she’d just mentioned.

“Oh, come now, you can’t be That bad?” 

“Seriously, you do not want to unleash Olaf singing, however joyful and happy it might be, onto the public. It could ruin Christmas for the more sensitive souls.” Ty said and winced thinking back on the few occasions where his grandfather had let his voice be heard in song... or something slightly similar. 

“Still, you should try it sometimes. Just because Olaf can’t carry a tune doesn’t mean you can’t. And before you say you won’t go ‘carolling’ I don’t mean going from house to house, it’s just a bunch of people going to church or the community-hall and singing for each other and together, you can do that. ” Dawn insisted and Ty agreed to give it a try and even get the other to do the same.

 

 

The recruitments efforts went as Ty had expected.

Axl stammered something about not being able to carry a tune, but once Zeb hear about it he was all for it and soon had Axl agreeing as well as long as Zeb could come along. 

Olaf was happily enthused and before Ty could say another word Olaf had invited Ingrid and Stacey to come along as well. 

Mike gave him an annoyed look and very nearly slammed the door on him but once he learned that both Olaf and Axl had already agreed, and that the goddesses were coming as well, he reluctantly agreed.

Michele did slam the door in his face.

And Anders... well he was going to let Dawn handle Anders. He’d suffer les gay jokes that way.

 

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t sing Dawn.”

“Neither does the rest of your family it seems, but they are still coming.”

“What all of them? Even Mike?” 

“Yes, even Mike. And the goddesses. Well maybe not Michele but the rest of them are.” 

“An excellent point, you don’t need me then.”

“Oh come now Anders, why would you want to be the only one not there?”

“Have you heard them sing yet?”

“... well no, but...”

“Come back to me once you’ve heard them sing and I’ll have a nice big glass of Vodka for you to help get the memory away for a while.” Anders said and flipped open his notebook, which Dawn knew meant the discussion was over. 

‘For now.’ She added mentally.

 

Two weeks, and three ‘sessions’ later she was almost ready to admit defeat. And if she hadn’t cut her teeth working with Anders she may well have thrown in the towel. 

But she was used to Anders, and she’d be damned if she was going to let these stubborn misfits of a ragtag family group get the better of her Christmas cheer. 

She did accept both the first and the second glass of vodka though. 

 

“So, sister Mary Francis,” Anders said as he poured them both a third shot of tequila, “how is the singing lessons going?”

After the first two glasses of Vodka Anders had looked both slightly worried and somewhat impressed at her and suggested they should get the alcohol in her stomach some food for company and they had locked up the office for the day, both of them knowing nothing more would get done, and headed out to fine something to eat. 

They ended up at Anders place with a bag of fruits for the drinks and a plan to order in since neither of them could be arsed to do anything more than that. 

“Oh God, she had it easy. At least she was dealing with people who wanted to sing.” Dawn said and salted her hand in preparation of the shot.

“I did warn you.” Anders pointed out and handed her her glass. 

“You did.” Dawn acknowledged, then licked the salt, downed the shot and bit into the slice of lime.

“So who’s the worst?” Anders asked as he licked lime juice of his lips.

“Depends on what you mean by worst.” Dawn said around the lime slice she was still sucking on.

“There are multiple choices?” Anders asked intrigued as he went through the cupboards to see if they had anything edible to snack on. “Hmm. I have cheese, olives, crackers and a few slices of Parma, will that tide you over for now?” 

“What kind of cheese?” Dawn asked and Anders waved her over to the fridge so she could see for herself. “You actually have food in here, I’m impressed. I don’t think I know these so whatever you think is fine.” She said and disregarding the fact that she’d just poured another shot for them both while Anders got the cheeseboard ready, she got out a bottle of white wine that was already open.

“It goes better with the cheese.” She explained when she reached past Anders to get the proper glasses. “You actually look domesticated right now.” She teased as she watched him expertly cut and arrange the snacks. A comment which earned her a one finger salute over his back, that caused her to grin.

“Here you ungrateful cretin.” Anders said as he placed the food between them and then reached for his own shot glass and they both did their shot before Dawn poured them wine. “Now you were going explain the ‘multiple choice’?” Anders said as he sat down and took a piece of cheese. 

“Oh yes.” Dawn said and bit into a stuffed olive with relish, then thought about how to explain the dilemmas she was facing with the group that had managed to drive her to drink on this day.

“Well it’s hard to say really. Olaf’s ‘singing’ voice is not really an indoor or solo voice, but he sure has enthusiasm which I think takes the edge of.” Dawn said and smiled at the sly look Anders sent her over the rim of his wine glass.

“It does!” She insisted, but she couldn’t hold back her laughter. “Yes he truly is terrible, but it’s in a very charming sort of way, so you find yourself forgiving him.” She said and gave Anders a pointed look which he acknowledged by lifting his glass in salute.

“Stacey and Ingrid are both fairly good singers, Zeb actually has very nice voice and he’s not afraid to sing in front of people which is nice, Axl is...fair but he keeps forgetting the words, Mike isn’t really singing so much as humming and Michele, who turned up on the second evening, isn’t even trying to join in she’s just there to provoke chaos at every turn.” Dawn finished with a sigh, sipped at her wine and munched on the very good cheese. 

“Well she would be.” Anders pointed out. “And you were wondering why I didn’t want to join.” He said watching in fascination as the little cheese squares and crackers disappeared into Dawns mouth at an astounding rate. 

“You could come and help you know.” Dawn said and gave him a pleading look that was ruined by her inability to stop eating the truly amazing cheese.

“So have you decided what you want to eat yet?” Anders asked, figuring he’d better feed Dawn before she decided that the squares were too little and she’d just eat it by the block, and that food would get her to forget her quest to get him to join in her madness at least for a while.

 

Turned out neither of them could really decide and nearly two hours later they admitted defeat and Dawn called Ty to come join them in their by now slightly more than semi drunken state and to bring something to eat because else they risked dying of alcohol poisoning.

Ty was quick to agree, partly because he was a responsible brother and an adoring boyfriend and partly because he’d yet to see Dawn drunk and by the sound of her slightly more than slightly slurred words this was his chance.

 

The sight that greeted him when he entered Anders living room had him stunned.

Dawn was seated on the kitchen counter, something Dawn never did, giggling as she caught and threw limes and oranges to and from Anders who was currently juggling a whole bunch of the fruits while walking around the coffee table... backwards and reciting something about broken bottles and bend forks.

“What?” Ty managed and that one word must have broken Dawns concentration, because she turned her head just as Anders had thrown another fruit and instead of catching it with her hand it ended up nestled in the cut of her dress which in turn broke Anders concentration and he took a wrong step making him trip and fall on his ass with a resounding crash, little lime and orange bombs pelting him as he lay on the floor.

There was total silence for all of five seconds then Anders, yes Anders, started giggling which set Dawn of and she slid down from the counter and wobbled over to Ty whom she kissed sloppily but lovingly which made Anders protest.

“Oi! I’m the one that was hurt.”

“He’s my boyfriend.”

“I’m your friend too right?” Anders actually sounded somewhat worried about her answer so Dawn made her way over so she could lean on the coffee table and look Anders in the eyes as he still lay on the floor.

“Cause’ you are you egg. I love you to bits, only not like that. I love Ty like that, mmmmm love loving Ty to bits.” Dawn said with a dreamy look in her eye that made Ty blush and grin, and Anders snort.

“Please no, not again. Ty! Ty, could you kiss your woman so I won’t have to hear her moaning about how much she loves loving you? Please I’m begging you bro, I’ll give you..uhm.... This Lime!” Anders said and held up one hand with one of the limes he’d been juggling.

“Pass.”

“But..” Anders began and Dawn pouted.

“I’ll set the food on the counter first then I’ll kiss her.” He said and winked at Dawn who smiled at him.

“Oh, well that okay .... food?” Anders sat up so fast he nearly knocked his head against Dawns. “Did you say food? Dawn tell me he said food?” Anders begged and looked pleadingly at Dawn who in turn just smiled motherly at him and padded him on the head.

“He did.” She affirmed and then blinked a few times as if only just realizing what that meant herself. “Food!” She chimed in, and before he knew it Ty was besieged by the two others and the food-bags was being rummaged through even as he was still holding them. 

“Hey.” He protested, though mildly, because the two of them was absolutely endearingly drunk right now and they were rather like a couple of children in their behaviour, even looking up at him with big round eyes, pupils slightly blown, at his outburst.

“Sorry honey we’re just hungry.” Dawn said and kissed Ty on the cheek as she took away half the bags.

“Yeah sorry sweetie.” Anders concurred mock serious then giggled and planted a slightly sloppy kiss on Ty’s other cheek and bounded off with the rest of the food as Ty spluttered and Dawn snickered from where she was unpacking the bags she’d liberated from Ty.

“Food, glorious food. We’re anxious to try it.” Anders mumbled under his breath as he dug into the bag. 

And across the counter Dawn dropped the chopsticks she’d just unpacked, suddenly much more sober than a second ago.

“Do that again?” She asked as Anders made a delighted little noise a finding a box of wonton’s.

“What?” He asked as he looked around for the chopsticks.

“Sing that again.” Dawn asked.

“I told you, I don’t sing.” Anders said and reached for the chopsticks but Dawn moved them.

“Yes you do, you just did.” She said, though even she had to admit privately that it hadn’t quite been singing, but close enough for her to remember and renew her effort to get him to join her on her carolling crusade.

“No I didn’t, now give me the chopsticks.” Once again he reached for them and once again she moved them.

“You did! Ty help me here?” She pleaded.

Ty, had been hanging up his coat so he’d missed any singing Anders may or may not have done, but he wanted to help Dawn so knowing quite a lot of his brothers quirks, he didn’t go the direct route that would only lead to Anders clamming up.

“He’s just won’t admit that that’s all he knows of it. He properly only knows that from some infomercial or some such shit.” Ty said and made a dismissive gesture towards Anders. 

“I do so know the rest of it!!” Anders said indignantly. “Course I do, I...” Anders trailed of as if his drunken brain had realized he’d been about to say something he’d regret and had managed to stop him just in time. 

Dawn was leaning forward as was Ty, but Anders just grunted and reached out for the chopsticks again, this time managing to get a hold of them.

“You..?” Dawn tried wanting him to elaborate, but Anders simply shrugged as if he’d forgotten or it wasn’t important.

As their staring got too intense he gave them a sour look and mumbled.

“I don’t want to talk about it, and I’m not joining your little choir. End of discussion.” He bit out and stabbed a wonton like it was personally responsible for his bad mood.

Anyone else might have been annoyed at Anders sudden change of mood or taken his sour tone personal, but Ty and Dawn both knew him better so they knew it wasn’t aimed at them but at something else that he wasn’t currently, and maybe never would be, ready to share with them.

“Okay, I’ll admit defeat. For the sake of getting hot food, naturally it has nothing to do with you.” Dawn said with a superior tone of voice. But she winked at him as he looked up at her at her words earning her a softening of his features and a small upwards turn of his mouth.

“Oh of course, because there will be so much room left in your stomach after you ate a whole glass of olives and almost all my cheese.”

“There’s more?” Dawn said and looks at the fridge excitedly causing Anders to laugh out loud.

“No, no there isn’t any more, but I did manage to get a few pieces so you didn’t eat it all alone. It was damn close though. Ty, remind me to give you the name of the cheeses so you have something to bribe her with once you forget a date or some such thing.”

“I resent the notion that I would forget a date with a woman as lovely as Dawn almost as much as the notion that she can be bought off by cheese.” Ty said as he dug into the food as well.

“Oh I don’t mind.” Dawn said and at Ty’s astounded look just shrugged. “It’s really good cheese.”

“It must be.” Ty smiled. Yeah the little episode with Anders had sobered the other two quite a lot, but Dawn was still sloshed or she would have been at least mildly annoyed at the mere notion of being bribe-able, let alone with cheese. Ty still felt the mood was a little too sober so he poured himself a glass of vodka, having decided to join the other two in their drunken state, and quickly thought of a way to bring it back to something more cheerful and also maybe earn him the answer to a question he’d never thought he’d ask of one of his brothers, least of all Anders.

“So Anders, where did you learn to joggle?”

 

 

Morning saw all three of them nestled up in a heap in Anders bed and none of them stirred or even moved more that to nuzzle closer to the others, until sometime after noon.

Ty and Dawn ended up spending Saturday with Anders ass well because none of them could drag up the energy to do much of anything and when Anders suggested greasy pizza and mindless movies they were sold. 

Dawn tried once more to get Anders to join their little group for carolling, even going so far as to suggesting that he just join them in practise that he didn’t even have tossing just be there, but Anders refused again sticking to his earlier statement that he didn’t sing and that it would be wrong if he was there just to be there since she was trying to get Michele to quit doing just that.

He did give Dawn a few pointers on how to deal with the others though.

 

Dawn took his advice to heart and at the next meeting she told Mike to get his shit together and actually sing, told Axl to fucking relax because it wasn’t an exam but for fun so it didn’t matter if he got it all right as long as he did his best, asked Olaf to lower his volume but not his enthusiasm and told Michele she had the choice to either join in, pay an admission fee or bugger of, which resulted in Michele looking first stunned then smile smugly and join in.

Now they weren’t going to win and contests, or even qualify for entering into one, but they weren’t ear-bleeding bad anymore either and they were all starting to have a really good time. 

 

Oddly enough it’s neither Dawn nor Ty who brings up the ‘Anders issue’ but in fact Stacey of all people who mentions it. 

“It’s a shame Anders won’t join in. I mean yeah he can be a dick but it’s sort of feels like he’s missing you know?” She said and took a swing from her water bottle.

“We’ve tried. He’s adamant that he don’t sing.” Ty said with a shrug.

Mike frowned. 

“You know I don’t think I’ve ever hear him sing?”

“Maybe he can’t and just don’t want us to know?” Ingrid suggested.

“No that’s not it.” Axl said as he paused from stuffing his face with some of Ty’s muffins that he’d made for the breaks. 

“It could be Axl, and you’re right Mike I can’t remember ever having heard him either.” Olaf said.

“No it’s not, because Anders can sing.” Axl insisted.

“Oh? You’ve heard him?” Mike asked intrigued to find out what made Axl stand apart from the others of the family.

“Yeah, he uhm, well i don’t know if he still can but he could back then.” Axl mumbled somewhat vaguely.

“’Could?’ Back when?” Ty probed.

Axl looked slightly embarrassed as he elaborated. 

“I used to go to his room when I had nightmares and such and if they were really bad I could get him to sing me to sleep. He was real good at it too, I don’t think I ever heard more than one or two verse of any song before I was out.”

“Well if he can sing why won’t he join in?” Zeb asked no one in particular.

“I don’t know.” Axl said. “One day he was fine with me slipping into his bed and asking for stories and songs, then suddenly he wouldn’t even let me come into his room, he’d take me to my own instead and he wouldn’t sing or even really tell me stories anymore.” Axl frowned. “I don’t know what changed but thinking back I think he was ....” Axl trailed off.

“Yes?” Mike probed but Axl just stood there deep in thought for another minute or so and when he finally looked up his face had a determined expression that spoke of woe to anyone who got in his way.

“I’m going to go see Anders, there’s something I have to know.” Axl said and pushed away from the table, leaving his plate with over half a muffin still on it.

“Odin has left the building.” Zeb mumbled as Axl almost slammed the door after him, then looked slightly worried. “You know maybe someone should go with him?”

“Why?” Mike asked.

“Odin has left the building.” Zeb repeated as if that explained everything, then when all he got was dumbfound faces elaborated. “That, that was not Axl, that was Axl in Odin is pissed mode. I should know I’ve seen it before. So you know maybe someone should go make sure he doesn’t kill... someone.”

“Shit.” Ty cursed and Mike was already heading for the door, Olaf too getting up from the table.

 

Ty would later swear to the fact that they meet every rod snail in Auckland and caught every red light on the entire route to Anders flat so that even with Mike behind the wheel Axl was there a good while before them, and they caught snippets of shouts through the door which neither of them could open even though they’d all tried Ty’s key.

“It worked yesterday.” Ty swore as he tried and once more got the same result: The key turned like it should, he could feel the tumbler moving inside the lock, but the door would not be budged.

“I’m guessing Bragi don’t want company.” Olaf finally suggested.

“Then he can’t be in danger right? If he was in danger he would want help to come to him yes?” Ty asked a fragile hope in his voice and Mike could only shrug.

Ty moved up to the door and placed his ear to the wood to try and listen in.

“They’ve stopped shouting at least.” He said as he straightened up again when he couldn’t hear anything. 

“I don’t think Anders was shouting in the first place, it sounded more like Axl.” Mike said and in frustration reached out to wiggle the handle.

No one was more surprised than him when the door opened at his touch, and with some trepidation the three of them entered the quiet apartment.

No, not quite quiet, the soft murmur of Axl speaking in a low and gentle tone could be heard coming from further in the apartment, turned out he was sitting standing just outside the closed door to the bathroom of all places.

He looked up and gave them a sad smile when they entered.

His next words made them raise their eyebrows in shock though.

“Come on Bragi let me in, I know you want to, or you wouldn’t have let the other into the apartment at all.”

“I just wanted them to get you to leave.” The slightly distorted sound of Bragi using his brothers voice came through the wood.

“No, that’s not it.” Axl shot back, and yes there was something more in his voice as well, seems Odin really had taken an interest in their little ‘problem’.

“Yes it is. I just want you to leave.” The god behind the door shot back in a voice and situation that reminded Mike of all the times he’d had to coaxes Anders down from the big oak out back when dad or mum had let into him. And suddenly Mike had an ugly suspicion where this might be headed or rather what might be revealed.

“I know you don’t feel like it, but I really need you to open the door.” Axl asked in a patient voice that reminded the three of them that Odin was a father many times over. “Bragi, Anders I need you to open the door so I can lift the curse, I need to touch you to lift the curse because it’s been on you so long.” Axl reasoned, and the other ears picked up at the word ‘curse’.

Axl smiled to himself the in a conspiratorial tone mock whispered to the door: “If I promise to lift the curse with a hug will you open the door?”

His answers was a sound halfway between a sob and a laugh.

“Come on Anders, Axl need’s the brother that used to sing away his nightmares. And you are Bragi the god of song, don’t let that bitch take that away from you not for an entire lifetime, not for a single minute or second more, open up and let me set you free.” Axl and Odin begged in union and this time the answer was a shuffle, the lock sliding back and the door being opened tentatively.

Anders eyes were red rimmed his cheeks were still moist with tear tracks and his entire being seemed somehow shrunken and fragile. 

“I...” He began in a unsteady voice, but he didn’t get any longer before Axl had stepped up and enveloped his much shorter brother in a bear-hug, that Anders only took a second to return with a tenacity and desperation none of them had seen in him before.

The two of them stood like that for a long time, Anders face hid against Axl’s chest but the shaking of his shoulders gave his crying away. It was a very human display of emotion yet there was an almost tangible power at play around the pair as well that was anything but mortal and human.

“Can I, would it be okay if I joined?” Olaf asked after a while earning himself a smile from Axl and a glimpse of one blue eye from Anders.

“You’d be most welcome.” Axl assured him and Olaf wasted no time in moving behind Anders and gently folding one of his arms around the blond as well, the other embracing both Anders and Axl.

Ty was quick to join as well, and Mike gave a silent sigh that even he didn’t know what was for and joined the rest of them also making sure to focus the hug on Anders.

There was an audible *snap* sound and Anders gave a little cry of pain and surprise making everyone back away quickly though Axl still kept a hand on his shoulder.

“I..I ..oh I...this feels so strange.” Anders said and both his hands were at his throat feeling it like he’d never known it before. 

“How do you feel?” Axl asked.

Anders smile was blinding when he said: “I feel like singing.”

 

**********

 

Dawn was beginning to worry. It had been more than an hour since Ty and the others had left for Anders place and they hadn’t hear from any of them since. She was just debating calling Ty when she caught sight of Mikes pickup coming down the street, and following it was Axl’s beat up old car.

“They are back.” She announced to the room and went to open the door.

She was much relieved to see all of them there, even Anders, and they all looked unhurt even if everyone’s but Anders cloths was slightly rumpled looking.

That, however had a perfectly good and non violent explanation though as it turned out.

 

“Yeah so turns out the reason my powers was the only ones not working on other gods was because Freya didn’t want that power in the gods corner so since she was certain I would wind up Bragi she bound my future powers by binding and cursing my voice. I didn’t know and the curse was clever enough that Bragi couldn’t tell anyone, not even me. It was only when Axl or Odin or Axl and Odin suspected something was at foot that Odin ordered me to tell and that broke Freya’s no telling clause since Odin trumps her, and then he lifted the curse and here I am, all better and free.” Anders said and smiled like none of them had ever seen him smile before: Like spring had come after a winter that had looked never ending.

“Bitch.” Michele mumbled. Oh she would once have admired Freya for her power and her farsightedness, but she’d learned that the gods were not really the enemy, and the inability to compromise and forgive and forget was their greatest weakness. Plus you know, Michele might not like children but even she would never do something like curse her own child, no matter how tempted.

Dawn gave Anders a hug as did Ingrid and Stacey placed a hand on his shoulder for a second or two in support.

Dawn looked at the other gods again.

“But that doesn’t explain the cloths. Is that a result of how you lifted the curse?” She asked. 

None of them had told them ‘how’ the curse had been lifted, and the gods had semi silently agreed not to tell, male pride and all that.

Anders grinned.

“No, no that would be a result of me singing for the first time in almost twenty years.”

“It was so bad they dived for cover?” Stacey asked in disbelief, she loved Olaf she really did but if his singing when he really let it rip didn’t send you running she doubted Anders could make a noise that would.

“No, it seems that Bragi is at his most influential when I sing and well Axl suggested I start out with the lullaby I used to sing him as a kid.” Anders let the sentence hang until everyone had made the correct conclusion.

“Dude you sang them to sleep?” Zeb asked grinning like mad.

“Yep. Barely one verse and they all sat down, by the end of the second they were all snoring away on my carpet.” Anders confirmed and the other Johnsons looked slightly embarrassed but not much, it was hard to have any negative feelings when Anders fairly radiated happiness and joy.

“So ...” Dawn began looking hopeful at her friend and boss.

“Yes Dawn I’ll join your choir, now that I can actually sing, I’ll be happy to. Only we’ll have to go through the songs you’ve selected. Because if one lullaby can make four non sleepy gods go beddybye... yeah we wouldn’t want to start a new boom in fanatical Christianity would we?”

 

It took some fine coming of the songs and a few of her favourites had to go, or Anders would simply sit them out, but in the end they still had quite a few songs they could prepare for the get together, and once Anders joined them not only did he bring his own amazing voice his mere presence as Bragi made everyone else just that much better.

 

 

“Best carolling ever.” Dawn stated when they stood outside the small church where the session had taken place on December 22’nd.

“We should totally do this again.” Axl agreed and smiled at the two girls that winked and giggled at him as they passed.

“Definitely.” Zeb agreed and dragged Axl behind him as he headed after the girls.

“I had my doubts but it really was nice.” Mike reluctantly confessed, but he couldn’t keep the smile of his face for long so he coughed and wished them a good evening and promised to be punctual on Christmas eve, before he made his way to his car Michele following him. She didn’t comment but she was smiling too which was better in Dawns book.

“Epic.” Was Olaf’s comment as he passed them with a wave and Stacy smiled and waved as well as they headed off.

“Lovely, we should do stuff like this more often.” Ingrid suggested. “You really are a gain to our community dear.” She complimented Dawn and gave her a hug before she breezed of as well.

Which only left Anders...

“Well would you look at that?” Ty said and smiled at the very rare if ever before seen sight before them.

Anders was talking to a woman, or rather a woman was talking to him, not what was unusual obviously, but the way Anders was smiling almost shyly and... was he blushing? He was! Definitely no Bragi involved here, only good old fashioned ‘boy meets girl’. 

“Ohhhh, that’s just typical. I think I’ve seen this movie.” Dawn grinned with a knowing look.

“What?” Ty wanted to know.

“That,” Dawn said and discretely pointed at the young woman who was smiling and blushing prettily herself as Anders said something to her, “that is the choir leader of the church.” 

Ty felt a smile starting to blossom, then Dawn continued with an evil glint in her eye.

“Oh but it get’s better my dear, she’s also the ministers daughter.”

Ty leaned his head back and let out a laugh.

‘Yeah, best carolling session ever.’

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry I’m slow as tar in winter, but life is being a nasty, nasty...well I shan’t get into that, just let you know that I miss you all, readers, commenter’s and fellow fic’ers alike and hope to be back with you again soon, but for the foreseeable future I’m going to be under a lot of pressure so fic’s will be slow and I might abandon the last two parts for a much later date in favour of my much neglected favourite child ‘Hill’.  
> Anyway hope you enjoyed this and take the time to let me know with either comment or kudos, or maybe even spoil me with both. I could use some spoiling yes I could.  
> Cheers Aramir

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Breaking the Curse](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2583713) by [ryuuri](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryuuri/pseuds/ryuuri)




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